Hidizs AP80 Pro Max DAP Review

[Somafunk]

The low headphone output limits it's use as a DAP but it would be perfect for people who want to play their high resolution library on a vintage receiver without adding a DAC or networking stuff.

It’d be perfectly decent for iem’s and “sensible” headphones.

Although the hidizs website is rather optimistic/lying regarding the output

- 3.5mm SE (70mW + 70mW @ 32Ω) & 4.4mm BAL (190mW + 190mW @ 32Ω) — powerful, versatile output

 

[Somafunk]

I'm thinking inexpensive enough, 2Tb of storage, small, with usb out this could be a music server for my my new EV. Your thoughts, is something better I should check out? The car projects music from thumb drives on my screen and has android audio and apple car play.

Does your car not have an sd card slot, usually hidden in glove box?

The Hiby R1 (lightweight plastic so easy to carry) or the Hiby R3 would be my preferred player but that’s because i used to own the R3 2023 model but eventually upgraded to the R6

If it has android/apple car play then I’d not mess about with a dap, I use CarPlay/iphone 17 and tidal so just stream everything when in my car, but if you don’t wish to stream perhaps look at the Fiio jm21 as it’s full android for around $150

HiBy R1

Compact music player with a colorful experience; Sit well within the palm of your hand, with black / white / blue / green / orange colour options and strap lug for easy carrying; Translucent chassis creates a unique aesthetic; R1 Silicone Case ✨ Multiple colour options | Translucent chassis | 3”...

store.hiby.com

HiBy R3 II 2025 - HiFi Music Player with HiByOS

HiBy R3 II: The compact HiFi music stream player with HiByOS, balanced output, independent power supply, and dual ESS ES9219C audio SoCs.

store.hiby.com

Guangzhou Feiao Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.-JM21

JM21 has a 13mm, 156g ultra-thin body, and is the world's first portable HiFi player with Xiaolong 680.

www.fiio.com

 

[Timcognito]

Does your car not have an sd card slot, usually hidden in glove box?

The Hiby R1 (lightweight plastic so easy to carry) or the Hiby R3 would be my preferred player but that’s because i used to own the R3 2023 model but eventually upgraded to the R6

If it has android/apple car play then I’d not mess about with a dap

HiBy R1

Compact music player with a colorful experience; Sit well within the palm of your hand, with black / white / blue / green / orange colour options and strap lug for easy carrying; Translucent chassis creates a unique aesthetic; R1 Silicone Case ✨ Multiple colour options | Translucent chassis | 3”...

store.hiby.com

HiBy R3 II 2025 - HiFi Music Player with HiByOS

HiBy R3 II: The compact HiFi music stream player with HiByOS, balanced output, independent power supply, and dual ESS ES9219C audio SoCs.

store.hiby.com

Up until lately my wife has had car with the techy stuff, I've driving the noisy 2012 pick-up truck. Yea just getting into car play so I'll look for the sd card slot. There so much to learn and I've been spending time figuring stuff out especially charging from my solar and whole house battery to maximize efficiency. My small system is maxing out.

 

[EJ3]

Some may also be interested, in such a PortableMediaPlayer, as the front-end of a vehicle's audio system. It allows many different configurations (Analog/USB/BlueTooth/WiFi) depending on the age of the vehicle and/or if they plan to use it in multiple vehicles... but only if they enjoy being their own DJ, with their own massive digital library.

I had not thought of that: my 2004 truck has a head unit that plays radio stations, CDs, DVDs and has Bluetooth. With 2 terabytes of whatever, I can have a lot of stuff that will play on the trucks system.

 

[xanalog]

Thanks Amir, the reviews keep flowing.
This appears to be a quality DAP, attention to detail is clear....
This is using dual ESS ES9219C DAC's and an Ingenic X1600E SoC.
JSmith

Quite interesting that the dual ESS DACs are encased in a faraday shield.
Seems like a quite complicated and costly few steps, during manufacturing.
They would not have gone thru the pains of implementing a cage around the chipsets, inside such a small device.

I had not heard about any radiated noise problems with the Sabre clan w/o cans.

 

[Roland301]

Why do you want to use AAC over LDAC ?

For use with Airpods Pro 2, which does not support LDAC.

 

[EJ3]

Quite interesting that the dual ESS DACs are encased in a faraday shield.
Seems like a quite complicated and costly few steps, during manufacturing.
They would not have gone thru the pains of implementing a cage around the chipsets, inside such a small device.
View attachment 504544
I had not heard about any radiated noise problems with the Sabre clan w/o cans.

Me either: but, maybe the size of the space they are in & proximity to other parts: creates an issue.

 

[CedarX]

Quite interesting that the dual ESS DACs are encased in a faraday shield.
Seems like a quite complicated and costly few steps, during manufacturing.
They would not have gone thru the pains of implementing a cage around the chipsets, inside such a small device.
View attachment 504544
I had not heard about any radiated noise problems with the Sabre clan w/o cans.

Is this for EMI or heat dissipation? Both?

 

[JSmith]

radiated noise problems with the Sabre

Other way around I would suggest, isolating the DAC's to stop EMI from nearby components like the SoC, display etc. and to prevent RF noise entering the analog audio path.


JSmith

 

[Subob]

It runs the Hiby software/gui so you enter your Tidal login details and you can browse/access playlists and do pretty much anything except for downloading.

I had one backed on kickstarter but cancelled it end of November, i already have a Hiby R6 Gen iii and a Tempotec V1 which has the exact same functionality and Hiby software/gui but is half the size of the Hidiz AP80pro max, the V1 is a similar size to a 2finger kitkat and comes with a clip/plastic case - no issues whatsoever powering my HD490 using the 3.5mm, using the 4.4mm it can easily drive HD600 to ear damage levels

V1-Details

TempoTec Corp. is established by a group of audiophiles. The final format of music is always analog. So besides of the advanced digital audio processing technology, we also listen to the feedback of users, create new product with user-oriented, and share fine listening experience with music lovers.

www.tempotec.net

Your post here prompted me to pick one of these up nearly new at a great price from Ebay. I'm a sucker for this kind of impulse bargain buy, lol.

I'm just playing with it now, via the balanced output with iems, and it appears to offer exceptional value! Lovely little form factor and seems to have superb functionality for such a small and budget priced DAP.

Sorry for interrupting this thread, but the reason is because I'm wondering if the Tempotec V1 has also been measured/reviewed here?
If not, if there's a UK forum member here who does what Amir does so well, I'd be willing to send mine for measuring for everyone here to see.

 

[Michou]

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Hidizs AP80 Pro Max stereo Digital Audio Player & DAC. It was sent to me by the company and is on sale for US $189.
View attachment 504046
The pictures from company and elsewhere makes you think this is the size of a mobile phone but it is much smaller and lighter. It literally fits in the palm of your hand with its 2.9 inch display. It has extensive functionality including wifi, parametric EQ and such. User interface is a bit sluggish compared to modern mobile phone but not enough to be annoying or anything. One thing I did not like much was the slow rotary control to adjust volume. You have to turn it dozens of times to go from max to zero. You can use the touchscreen level indicator but it is small and hard to grab vs menu items below it.

There are both 3.5mm and 4.4mm analog headphone outputs. I focused my testing on the latter.

Back to PEQ, seems like it supports a number of applications programming it. I did not try it.

Finally, do note that this has a battery in it and can play local content with up to 2 TByte SD card, compared to using a dongle which draws power from your phone.

Hidizs AP80 Pro Max Measurements
I connected the device using 4.4 mm and got this into 300 ohm load:
View attachment 504048

Distortion is below -120 dB which is below threshold of hearing and in the same league as some of the best desktop DACs. Noise then limits SINAD to a very respectable 111 dB:
View attachment 504049

I was however dismayed to see just 2 volt output rather 4. This will limit power when driving high impedance headphones. The 3.5mm is lower still and hence the reason I did not measure it.

Back to noise, it is quite respectable for a DAP:
View attachment 504050

Residual noise is higher than average though when driving ultra-sensitive IEMs:
View attachment 504055
This may be better with 3.5mm.

Multitone test shows the incredibly low distortion levels regardless of device category:
View attachment 504051

Jitter is almost non-existent:
View attachment 504052

Choice of filter and frequency response is what we typically see:
View attachment 504053
View attachment 504054

The good filter implementation results in very nice wideband noise and distortion vs frequency graph:
View attachment 504056

As predicted, there is not a lot of power for high impedance headphones so best to stay with efficient ones:
View attachment 504057

Better stay with a lower impedance one:
View attachment 504058

Conclusions
It is so impressive to see so much functionality in such a tiny player yet with performance that is clearly optimized. Across almost all tests, you are getting desktop class performance and a good one at that! The only miss is 2 volt output vs 4 volt. And perhaps a gain setting to reduce residual noise. If you use an IEM that is not too sensitive, neither is an issue.

I am going to recommend the Hidizs AP80 Pro Max. It is the first DAP that I have really liked due to its small size, weight and low cost.
------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

- 2.95" (360×640) HD Touchscreen — smooth, responsive control
- Dual ES9219C DACs + X1600E SoC — precise, high-performance audio architecture
- Premium Aluminum CNC Body with Dual-Sided Glass — elegant, durable design
- Native DSD256 & PCM 32bit/384kHz Support — pure, lossless playback
- MQA 16X Hardware Decoding — studio-quality sound, anywhere
- 3.5mm SE (70mW + 70mW @ 32Ω) & 4.4mm BAL (190mW + 190mW @ 32Ω) — powerful, versatile output
- HiByOS Audio System — optimized for seamless Hi-Fi performance
- Bidirectional USB DAC — use as DAC or connect external DAC/amp
- Bidirectional Bluetooth 5.1 — supports LDAC, aptX, AAC, SBC, UAT
- 2.4GHz Wi-Fi Connectivity — stream directly from Tidal, Qobuz, DLNA & AirPlay
- DLNA & AirPlay Wireless Support — effortless network playback
- E-book Function — for lyrics or light reading
- Hi-Res & Hi-Res Wireless Certified — officially recognized for superior sound

Thank you for the thorough review, Amir. I noticed the review goes into great detail about measurements, outputs, and sound performance, but I didn’t see much discussion about the Wi-Fi or streaming capabilities of the AP80 Pro Max. Since it seems to support 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, Tidal/Qobuz streaming, and DLNA/AirPlay, it might be helpful to include a few notes on how well these features perform in real use.
Just a friendly suggestion to make the review even more complete!

 

[jmead]

When I bought this on Kickstarter, I worried that Amir et al were going to rate it "Ground to pink dust panther". (Actually, I worried that it was never going to show, like so many of the things I've backed on Kickstarter, so hat's off to Hidizs for delivering on time.) I'm glad to know that its sonic abilities are way past anything I can hear. However, I think I'm going to respectfully disagree with Amir's statement "User interface is a bit sluggish compared to modern mobile phone but not enough to be annoying or anything." Currently, the user has to do a lot of swiping to find e.g. songs that begin with letters in the middle of the alphabet. I can't imagine what someone with a 1TB memory card will do. There is an alphabetical index that appears on the right edge that, ideally, will take you to roughly where you want to go, but screen is small and I haven't been able make use of it reliably. Also, the up/down buttons on the right side of the unit are not context sensitive. If you've selected an album, and are playing a track, you can use the buttons to move from one track to another, but the buttons don't seem to work elsewhere. It would be nice if they would scroll the list of artists or albums or songs, with increased speed the longer one holds down the button. Hopefully, a future firmware will fix this and the frequent UI crashes.

On the plus side, it is a pretty cool object, the wifi-to-speaker via bluetooth works, and it fits in an Altoids box.

 

[Power Pop 23]

When I bought this on Kickstarter, I worried that Amir et al were going to rate it "Ground to pink dust panther". (Actually, I worried that it was never going to show, like so many of the things I've backed on Kickstarter, so hat's off to Hidizs for delivering on time.) I'm glad to know that its sonic abilities are way past anything I can hear. However, I think I'm going to respectfully disagree with Amir's statement "User interface is a bit sluggish compared to modern mobile phone but not enough to be annoying or anything." Currently, the user has to do a lot of swiping to find e.g. songs that begin with letters in the middle of the alphabet. I can't imagine what someone with a 1TB memory card will do. There is an alphabetical index that appears on the right edge that, ideally, will take you to roughly where you want to go, but screen is small and I haven't been able make use of it reliably. Also, the up/down buttons on the right side of the unit are not context sensitive. If you've selected an album, and are playing a track, you can use the buttons to move from one track to another, but the buttons don't seem to work elsewhere. It would be nice if they would scroll the list of artists or albums or songs, with increased speed the longer one holds down the button. Hopefully, a future firmware will fix this and the frequent UI crashes.

On the plus side, it is a pretty cool object, the wifi-to-speaker via bluetooth works, and it fits in an Altoids box.

Thank you for the report.

Amir found the rotary volume control on his sample required dozens of turns to adjust the volume from zero to maximum.

Does the rotary volume control on your sample respond in similar way ?

 

[Somafunk]

There’s a few folk that have highlighted those particular issues on the AP80 pro max headfi thread, hidizs are apparently working on solving them in a future update

 

[Soulone]

I’m interested in this player. I understand that the PEQ works with Tidal and Qobuz, correct?
Another question: regarding song lyrics — can they be seen in Tidal? And what about local content? There’s no app for that, right?
Thx

 

[jmead]

Thank you for the report.

Amir found the rotary volume control on his sample required dozens of turns to adjust the volume from zero to maximum.

Does the rotary volume control on your sample respond in similar way ?

How does that song go? "To hear them sing, turn, turn, turn..."

 

[Accel_]

Hey mine just arrived and I've been trying to use it as a DAC for my pc, but no matter what I do it has a very noticeable delay between the audio and video. Is this normal?

 

[Jimster480]

I’m interested in this player. I understand that the PEQ works with Tidal and Qobuz, correct?
Another question: regarding song lyrics — can they be seen in Tidal? And what about local content? There’s no app for that, right?
Thx

How does this stream Tidal? Does it appear on the network as a device to be able to output to? Or does it have some software to run a copy of the app itself?

 

[pangcukaipang]

How does this stream Tidal? Does it appear on the network as a device to be able to output to? Or does it have some software to run a copy of the app itself?

This one uses HibyOS so it can stream Tidal and Qobuz via integrated app.

For Tidal, IIRC after opened the app you need to scan the QR code with your phone, it will open Tidal web and you fill your e-mail and password, then you can stream Tidal from the DAP.

For Qobuz it's easier, just fill your e-mail and password from the DAP.

Do note that it needs Wi-Fi as it can't download the music for offline mode like with phone.

 

[Jimster480]

This one uses HibyOS so it can stream Tidal and Qobuz via integrated app.

For Tidal, IIRC after opened the app you need to scan the QR code with your phone, it will open Tidal web and you fill your e-mail and password, then you can stream Tidal from the DAP.

For Qobuz it's easier, just fill your e-mail and password from the DAP.

Do note that it needs Wi-Fi as it can't download the music for offline mode like with phone.

Thanks for the info, its a bit weird to not be able to sync music... but I guess they did what they were allowed to do.